Lycosidae
Identify a Wolf Spider in Australia
Fast ground-running hunter, often mottled brown or grey, sometimes carrying an egg sac or spiderlings.
Painful but usually not life-threateningWolf spiders are active hunters and are commonly noticed running across floors, lawns and garden beds. They run rather than wait in a capture web, so the lack of an established web together with a mottled brown or grey body and ground-level setting is useful for narrowing a sighting. Females carrying an egg sac or young on the back are especially characteristic, but an ordinary photo may still overlap with other ground hunters. Compare movement, body shape and habitat with swift ground and white-tailed spiders rather than identifying from colour alone.
Quick identification
- Fast ground runner
- Mottled brown or grey pattern
- Does not sit in a capture web
- Females may carry egg sac or young
What to check next
Check whether it was running on the ground rather than waiting in a web.
When to seek medical help
Seek medical advice for severe pain, swelling, allergic symptoms or uncertainty.
Where it is usually seen
Lawns, garden beds, open ground, floors and sheltered outdoor spaces.